Automatic railway steam and air pipe coupling or the like.



PATENTED JULY 21, 1.903

I G. D. PETTINGELL.

AUTOMATIC RAILWAY STEAM AND AIR PIPE COUPLING OR THE LIKE.

APPLIOATION FILED APR. 30, 1902.

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cllllllllllm PATENTED JULY 21, 1903.

G. D. PETTINGELL. 4 AUTOMATIC RAILWAY STEAM AND AIR PIPE COUPLING OR THE LIKE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 30, 1902.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

N0 MODEL.

i N r/// 1 ll'llll No. 733,993. 'PATENTED JULY 21, 1903.

G. PETTINGBLL. I AUTOMATIC RAILWAY STEAM AND AIR PIPE COUPLING OR THE LIKE.

A PPLIOAT,ION FILED APR. 30, 1902.

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No. 733,993. I PATBNTED JULY 21 1903 i I G. 1). PETTINGELL. J

AUTOMATIC RAILWAY STEAM AND AIR PIPE COUPLING OR THE LIKE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 30, 1902.

H0 MODEL, 4 SHEETS-SHEET. v

j i 51 a 3 fiii WJ W'SEE IIWEELIM M Q I I I (HE NORRIS PEYERS CO. PHOYU-LITNO, AKSNKMITOM D C.

No. 733,993. Patented .iui 21, 1903.

UNITED. "STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE D PETTINGELL, OF JEFFERSON, IOWA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO I HENRY C. LAUB, OF DENISON, IOWA.

AUTOMATIC RAILWAY STEAM ANIJ AIR PII E COUPLING OR THE LIKE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 733,993, dated July 21, 1903. Application filed April 30,1902. Serialllo. 105,270- No model.)

To all whom it may concern: f v stock which it is desired to automatically Beitknown that I, GEORGE D. PETTINGELL, couple by means of the guide-hangers A, each a citizen of the United States,,and a resident comprising an integral strap or bar bent at ofthecityofJefferson,in thecountyof Greene its ends to provide the straps a a adapted 5 and State of Iowa, have invented certain new, to be secured on the draw-head, and providand useful Improvements in Automatic Railing intermediate of said ends a a the approxiway Steam and Air Pipe Couplers or the Like; 1 mately horizontal guides at. As shown, said and I do hereby declare that the following guide-hangers are arranged in pairs, one on is a full, clear, and exact description ofthe each side of .each draw-head, as illustrated in IO same, reference being had to the accompa- Figs. 1 and 8.

nying drawings, and to the letters of refer- Rigidly bolted or otherwise secured on the ence marked thereon, which form a part of horizontalguide a of each guide-hanger,near this specification. the front end thereof, is the guide A, slotted This invention relates more particularly to longitudinally at its front end, as shown in 6 I5 an improved steam, air, and hot-water coup- Fig. 1, to provide a bearing for the trunnions ling for railway-cars designed to be coupled B, which engage in said slots and which are automatically when the draw heads of the I integrally connected at their inner ends with cars are brought together in coupled relation. the oscillator-casing B, as shown in Fig. 4.

The object of the invention is to provide Said casing B, as shown, is cylindric in form 20 means whereby when cars or the like equipped and is provided with a cover 1), rigidly bolted with air-brakes or other fluid connections are thereto, and forms a relatively shallow circubrought together the act of coupling the drawlar box, in which is supported the oscillatorheads also serves to couple the air-pipes, plate'O. Said plate is provided on itsunder steam-pipes, hot-water, or other pipes at the, sidewith a transverse rib 0, extending dia- 25 same moment. metrically across the same and engaging The invention also embraces means adapt Y transversely of the coupling on the bottom of ed to bring all the pipes to be coupled into the casing B, as shown in Fig. 5, when the osperfect alinement and in coupling relation cillator is in position. with each other even though the cars be Located near the rear ends of the guides is 3o brought together at a considerable angle or the transverse strap of metal 0, through the though the platforms of the same be of un-. apertured ends of which extend the bolts 0, equal heights." V which are rigidly secured to the guides and The invention consistsin the matters herewhich hold said strap or bar from movement inafter described, and more fully pointed out longitudinally of the coupler. The apertures 5 and defined in the appended claims. to receive said bolts, however, are sufficiently In the drawings, Figure l is a side elevalarge to permit said bar to cant or incline tion of a device embodying my invention. under the varying stress thereon in coupling. Fig. 2 is a section taken on line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Rigidly secured on the trunnions B are the Fig. 3 is a section taken on line 3 3 of Fig. 1. thrust-rods b the rear ends of which extend 0 Fig. 4. is a section taken on line 4 4 of Fig. 2. through said bar 0, as shown in Fig. 9, and

Fig. 5 is a vertical transverse section of the on each of which a strong spiral spring is seoscillator plate and easing. Fig. 6 is a loncured, which engages at its rear end against gitudinal sectionillustrating in detail the said bar 0 and acts to hold theoscillator-cas construction of the pipe ends. Fig. 7 is asecing at the forward limit of its movement in 5 45 tion taken on line'7.7 of Fig. 6. Fig. 8 is a the guides.

front elevation'of a coupler embodying my in- Extending through the oscillatoricaseand Vention. Fig. 9 is a sectiontaken on line 9 9 plate 0 and rigidly secured to said plate is of Fig. 4. E the standard D, which supports the pipe ends As shown in said drawings, the coupling dewhich the coupler is designed to couple auto- I00 50 vices are supported from beneath the drawmatically. Rigidly secured on the lower end heads at the ends of the car or other rollingof said standard is the resilient push-rod D,

' f, g, and h.

which passes through a tubular stem D rigidly connected with the bar 0', and in which are provided coiled springs, as shown more clearly in Fig. 4, one of which engages above said resilient push-rod D and the other of which engages on the under side thereof. Said springs and the resiliency of said rod act when the coupler is forced rearwardly, thrown out of a perpendicular, or deflected laterally to return the same immediately to alinement. Rigidly secured on the standard D above the oscillator-case is the cross-head E, at the ends of which are secured, integrally if preferred, the forwardly-projecting parallel rods E E. On the outer ends of said rods, respectively, are the conical heads e and the funnel-shaped sockets e, as shown in Fig. 2. Said conical heads and the socketed heads 9 are complemental and are adapted to engage each with the complemental part of the coupler carried on the car with which the coupling is to be made, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The trainpipes F, G, and II' are adjustably engaged and supported in said standard D, as shown, one below and two above the oscillator-casing and passing through apertured enlargements on the standard D and firmly secured therein in an adjusted position by means of set-screws Said pipes are provided on their inner ends with couplings f g 72, adapted to secure thereto the usual hose-pipes f 9 ]L2, and at the outer ends with heads or fittings f g 71 Each of said heads is provided on its front face at its bottom and sides with inwardly-turned fiaugesf to engage the gasket f, in which is provided a bottom and lateral grooves, as shown in Figs. 6 and 7, to secure said flanges. Said flange f is emitted at top of said head to permit the gasket to he slipped readily into position or to be removed therefrom. Adjacent to the outer end of each of said pipes is provided a stay of metal I, provided with clips, which engage around the pipes F, G, and H and serve to rigidly connect the same near the heads and act to hold the same in uuvarying relation.

The operation is as follows: The casing C is adapted to reciprocate backwardly and forwardly on the guides, while the plate C is adapted to oscillate through a considerable are on the ridge or edge 0. When two cars equipped with devices embodying my invention are brought together in coupling relation, when the draw-heads come into position to engage the conical heads on one of the automatic couplers engages in the complemental socket-heads of the other, thereby directing the ends of the train-pipes into register as the draw-head is coupled. The air and steam pipes when forced into alinement by the interaction of the conical head and said socketheads are not only brought into exact register thereby, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 4, but the adjustment of said pipes is such that when in coupled position'said pipes and the oscillator-casing of each coupler are forced rearwardly against the tension of the spring b b on the thrust-rods, which are of suflicient be Varied without departing from the principles of my invention.

. I claim as my invention- 1. An automatic train-pipe coupler comprising hangers adapted to be suspended from a draw-head, longitudinal guides secured on said hangers, an oscillatory standard pivotally supported on the guides, a cross-head thereon, train-pipes supported near their ends on said oscillatory standard and guide members rigidly secured on thecross-head on each side of the pipes and adapted to interfit with like members on asimilar coupler and acting to hold the ends of the train-pipes of both couplers in register when the cars are coupled.

2. In an air-pipe coupler for railway-cars, the combination with guide-hangers supported below the draw-heads of the cars, of a horizontally-disposed oscillatory bearing member pivotally supported upon and adaptedto reciprocate on the guide-hangers, a standard pivotally supported on the bearingmember extending above and below the same and adapted to turn upon, to oscillate and to reciprocate with the bearing member, trainpipes rigidly secured near their ends on the standard adapted to positively engage and register with the train-pipes of another car when the cars are coupled.

3. In an automatic pipe-coupler for railway-cars,the combination with guide-hangers supported below the draw-heads of the cars, of an oscillatory cup pivotally supported upon and adapted to reciprocate on said guide-hangers, a plate supported in said cup, a vertical standard thereon adapted to turn within to oscillate and to reciprocate with said cup,-train-pipes having rigid ends and passing through said standard and adjustably but rigidly secured therein and means on each side of the train-pipes adapted to bring the ends thereof into register with like ends of a similar coupler when the cars are coupled.

4. In a train-pipe coupling for cars the combination with slotted guide-hangers, of an 0s cillatory cup pivotally supported upon and adapted to reciprocate on said guide-hanger, rearwardly-projecting rods secured to the said cup, a cross-bar adjustably secured on the said hangers and through which the ends of said rods project, springs upon the rods acting to press the adjustable cross-bar and cup oppositely and means for adjusting the tension of said springs.

5. In a train-pipe coupling for cars,the combination with guide hangers, of a bearing member pivotally supported thereon and f roe to oscillate and to reciprocate thereon, a pipecoupling section pivotally carried thereon, a cross-bar adj ustably secured transversely on the guide-hangers, a depending guide thereon, springs interposed between the cross-bar and bearing member and acting to force the same oppositely, and a spring-blade connecting the bearing member and depending guide.

6. In atrain-pipe coupling for cars,the con1- bination with the guide-hangers, of a cup supported to oscillate and reciprocate thereon, a pipe-coupling section carried thereon, rearwardly-projecting rods on said guide-hangers having screw-threaded ends fitted with nuts, a cross-bar fitted upon said rods, a dependin g bracket-guide thereon, springs interposed between the cup and cross-bar, and a springblade connecting the cup and bracket-guide.

7. In a train-pipe coupling for cars the combination with the guide-hangers,of the oscillatory cup supported to reciprocate thereon, a pipe-coupling section carried thereon, a rod projecting rearwardly from the said cup and supported upon a cross-bar, of the guidehangers, a spring on said rod acting to press the cup and cross-bar oppositely, a depending guide on said cross-bar, a spring-blade connecting the cup and depending guide and a spring carried on said depending guide and pressing said blade.

8. In a train-pipe coupling for cars,tl1e combination with guide-hangers, of the oscillatory cup supported to reciprocate thereon, a spring acting to hold said cup in the forward end of its movement, a plate supported to turn within said cup, a vertical standard secured on said plate and extending above and below the same, and a plurality of pipes supported on said standard above and below said oscillating cup, and guides rigidly secured on the standard on each side of the pipes and adapted to interfit with like guides on a similar coupler.

9. A train-pipe coupling for railroad-cars, a horizontal hanger-cup section reciprocating thereima pipe-supporting standard journaled in said cup-section, a pipe-coupling at the outer end thereof and guides upon opposite sides of the said couplings to bring it in line with the pipe-coupling ot' the car to be connected therewith.

10. A pipe-coupling for railway-cars comprising a centrally-apertured cup-bearing,

rocating and oscillatory pipe-coupling section, a plate rigidly secured on said section adapted to oscillate within said cup, a guiderod and guide-funnel placed upon opposite sides of and at equal distance from the axis of the oscillatory pipe-coupling to bring the pipe-couplings into alinement and register with the pipe-coupling to be connected therewith.

12. A train-pipe coupling for railway-cars comprising an oscillatory pipe-coupling section, guide-rods rigidly secured on oppositesides thereof and parallel therewith, a guide,- funnel on the outer end of one of said rods and a conical head on the opposite rod adapted to interfit with the guide-funnel and conical head of the coupling-section to be connected therewith and insure the alinement of the pipes of the coupling-sections.

13. In a pipe-coupling for railway-cars, the combination with the hanger of a cup supported thereon, springs to press the cup forward to the coupling-contact line, a pipe-supporting standard adapted to oscillate within said cup, a pipe-coupling and guides or deflectors secured to the pipe-supporting standard out: side of the pipe-coupling adapted to engage with the guides and deflectors of a car to be connected therewith.

14. In a pipe-coupling for railway-cars, the combination with the hanger, of a horizontal cup supported thereon, a pipe-supporting standard carrying a pipe-coupling and adapted to oscillate within said cup, a spring for holding the" pipe-coupling in proper alinement with the car and guides or deflectors secured to the pipe-supporting standard laterally of the pipe-coupling.

In witness whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

GEORGE D. PETTINGELL.

Witnesses:

O. W. HILLS, ALFRED O. ODELL. 

